Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Welcome to Baseball Oakland, a new Web site founded by passionate and knowledgeable Oakland Athletics fans. This site will celebrate all things Oakland, with a special focus on the city's efforts to keep the A's in Oakland, where they've called home since 1968.

Oakland is a thriving, economically vibrant city on the verge of a renaissance, featuring a buzzing gourmet scene that has enjoyed the opening of more than 30 major restaurants in less than three years. The reopening of the Fox Theater in the Uptown District is just the latest centerpiece in downtown Oakland’s ongoing revitalization. Also, the city’s growing arts scene has yielded the wildly popular monthly Art Murmur events, showcasing the city’s respected artists and attracting thousands to downtown establishments. That these positive changes have occurred during the worst economic downturn in decades speaks volumes about Oakland’s burgeoning economic strength.

It’s just a matter of time before that same rebirth will be enjoyed in other parts of Oakland, including Jack London Square, an area where city officials and A’s boosters have announced three potential ballpark sites. A new A’s ballpark coupled with redevelopment plans in the planned Jack London Square entertainment district would do much to further fuel Oakland’s already strong economic engine.

It also would underscore Oakland’s rich baseball heritage, which dates all the way back to 1866. The A’s have proudly continued that tradition. So has their home city. In fact, the Athletics’ 40-plus years in Oakland have featured 4 World Series championships and 15 postseason appearances, including 14 American League West divisional titles. Only the New York Yankees have achieved more. Oakland has supported the A’s very well, in return, drawing more than 2 million fans 11 times since 1988. Oakland also set a Bay Area attendance mark in 1990, when it drew 2.9 million fans to A’s games.

Much of Oakland’s excellent sports legacy lies in its youth leagues, which produced legends such as Bill Russell, Curt Flood, Joe Morgan, Jason Kidd, Andre Ward and Marshawn Lynch, to name just a few. So, we also will highlight the future stars in local youth sports – from high schools in the Oakland Athletic League to Little League and girls softball squads.

These and other issues will be explored in greater detail in future blog entries. Until then, please join us as we enthusiastically delve into our two favorite pastimes: Baseball and Oakland.